The Searchers
by AliasCWN
Summary: When the jeeps separate to search for a new German gun placement Tully and Moffitt run into trouble.


**The Searchers**

By:AliasCWN

Tully opened his eyes slowly, letting them adjust to the light a little bit at a time. The drum in his head kept time with the throbbing in his shoulder. Little by little the memories came back to him. He remembered separating from the other jeep to go look for a new gun placement the Germans had established. Each jeep had its own sector to search and they would meet up later. He remembered being jumped by the German patrol that had been hiding in a wadi. And he remembered the cat and mouse game they had been playing with that patrol as they tried to continue the search while at the same time trying to avoid the patrol. What he didn't remember was what came next. He knew he was hit, but when had that happened?

"You're awake. Good, I was starting to worry about you."

The clipped British accent of the speaker was blunted by fatigue. Tully looked up into the exhausted features of his sergeant. "Where are we?" He groaned. The sergeant pushed him back as he tried to sit up.

"Somewhere north of where we should be." Moffitt replied. "I got us this far before the jeep gave up the ghost."

"Maybe I can fix it; let me take a look at it." Tully again tried to sit up.

"Stay down!" Moffitt ordered, pushing on his good shoulder. "You've lost a lot of blood and I'm pretty sure there is nothing you can do to fix the jeep."

"What's wrong with her?"

"There's a bullet hole in the gas tank." The sergeant explained with a smile. "I'm sorry Tully but I'm afraid the old girl is done."

"She was a good jeep." Tully sighed with genuine regret.

"Yes, but now we must go on without her." The sergeant explained. "And with that wound I don't believe you can walk very far."

"I can make it Doc. Sarge and Hitch will be looking for us."

"We aren't scheduled to meet up with them until late this afternoon." Moffitt reminded him. "They won't miss us until we fail to make the meeting. That means they won't even begin a search until almost dark. Add in all of the dodging we did and the fact that we are out of our assigned sector, and well, I think you get the picture." The sergeant looked around at the surrounding desert. "We have to find a way to survive until they can find us."

"The radio?"

"Deader than the gas tank I'm afraid."

"Water?"

"Two canteens and half a can. We won't die of thirst right away." The sergeant replied tiredly. "What we need right now is shelter from this sun, and we need to get away from the jeep. That patrol is still out there somewhere."

"Sarge will be looking for the jeep." Tully argued.

"And so will the Germans." Moffitt added. "And right now I believe that the Germans are closer."

"Okay Doc, help me to my feet."

"Let me finish collecting what we can use from the jeep first." Moffitt suggested. "I'd booby-trap the jeep but I don't want Troy to set it off if the Germans don't find it first."

"I guess that wouldn't make him very happy." Tully agreed.

"Hardly." The sergeant admitted. "Why don't you try to relax while I get what we need? I'll leave Troy a clue in case he finds the jeep."

Tully nodded and dozed off again while Moffitt salvaged what he could. He awoke with a start when Moffitt shook his shoulder. "Come on Tully, we need to get away from here."

"Where are we going Doc?"

"We'll try to make it to those hills over there." The sergeant pointed.

"That one is closer." Tully nodded toward one with a few scraggly trees dotting its slopes.

"That's the first place anyone would look." Moffitt answered.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Tully fell silent as he concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. After stumbling along for a few minutes he tripped and fell. Moffitt caught him and lowered him the rest of the way to the ground.

"Rest here Tully, I'll be right back."

"Where are you going Doc?"

Moffitt held up a tarp he'd been dragging behind them. "I want to make sure that I wiped out all of our tracks. There isn't much wind and we can't count on it to erase our trail."

Tully nodded and let his chin drop to his chest. He was asleep before Moffitt had gone two steps.

"Tully. Tully."

"I'm awake Doc." Tully moaned as he shook off the other's hand.

"Time to go I'm afraid. We still need to find some shelter."

Tully struggled to his feet with Moffitt pulling on his arm. Together they staggered on until the sergeant could no longer keep Tully on his feet.

"Need to rest Sarge." Tully wheezed.

"All right, but just for a few minutes. I'm going to go back and erase out tracks again."

It was a pull on his arm that woke Tully again. He pushed himself to his feet with the sergeant's help and the two of them staggered on. They repeated the routine half a dozen times before Moffitt decided that they had traveled far enough from the jeep to stop.

"Rest Tully, I need to dig a trench."

"I can help Sarge; you've walked further than I have." Tully offered.

"No thank you Tully, I don't want you to put any stress on that shoulder. We're low on medical supplies and I don't know how long we are going to be here."

Looking around Tully noticed the pile of supplies lying on the ground next to him. "How did you carry all that stuff and still help me Doc?"

Moffitt looked at the supplies and smiled tiredly. "I didn't." He picked at the corner of the tarp. "I put them on the tarp and pulled it; the weight helped to erase out tracks."

Tully nodded and looked around again. "Doc, I thought we were headed for the hill. We aren't close enough to use it for shelter."

"No, we aren't." Moffitt agreed. "But as I pointed out earlier, the hills are the first place anyone would look. I'm hoping that by hiding in plain sight no one will look for us here. A determined searcher would find us in the hills."

"You mean like Sarge?"

"Or the Germans." Moffitt began to dig in the sand with a shovel he had brought from the jeep.

"You digging for water Doc?" Tully asked in confusion. "I thought you said we had enough water for a while."

"We do Tully but I'm not looking for water. I'm going to dig a trench for us to hide in. I'll disguise it with some of these bushes and cover it with a tarp. If it looks like flat desert perhaps no one will look here for us. I'll put our supplies in here with us, cover it with the tarp, and cover the tarp with a layer of sand. When I'm finished it should look as if nothing has disturbed it. We'll be out in the open where we can see anyone coming. If they search the hills they won't find us here."

"How did you figure that out?" Tully asked as curiosity got the best of him.

"The Arabs sometimes shelter from sand storms in cloth covered trenches." Moffitt fell into teacher mode. "Troy and I were talking one day and he mentioned that your Native Americans were known to use the same tactics to surprise an enemy on the desert of your southwest."

"I guess if it worked for them." Tully answered. "It sort of sounds like the blinds we build for hunting back home, only we don't usually dig a hole for them. We build them above ground."

"Anything above ground would be searched out here." Moffitt pointed out. "With this and a little luck the searchers will never even know we are here."

Tully dozed off again as Moffitt went back to digging. When he opened his eyes next Moffitt was busy stacking their meager supplies along one side of the trench. Tully watched as the sergeant placed the tarp over the top and weighed the edges down with rocks. A light coating of sand and their shelter was nearly indistinguishable from the surrounding desert. A few bushes planted at the edge of the tarp and they had something to break up their outline when they wanted to peek out for a look around. Moffitt stepped back and surveyed his handiwork. Satisfied that it would pass unnoticed, he smiled at Tully.

"Are you ready to get some rest?"

"More than ready Doc."

"All right, let's get you into the trench and you can sleep while I keep watch."

"You should rest too Doc."

"I will. I can take catnaps while I watch for company." Moffitt yawned. "Once you've rested you can spell me for a while."

Once Tully was settled Moffitt sat down to keep watch.

"You awake Doc?" Tully whispered the question when he thought he heard the sergeant's breathing change.

"Yes Tully." Moffitt answered sleepily. "Are you all right?"

"My shoulder hurts some but it's not too bad yet. I sure could use a drink of water though."

"I'll get you one." Moffitt offered. "Just give me a minute to look around first. I shouldn't have fallen asleep."

"You needed rest too. It's quiet out there. I haven't heard anything or anyone since I've been awake."

"How long have you been awake?"

"At least twenty minutes. I didn't want to wake you."

"All right, I'll look around and then I will get you the canteen. You can keep it with you in case you need it again." Moffitt crawled to the edge of the tarp and rose to his knees. A quick glance at his watch told him that he'd been asleep for over an hour. As he poked his head up he could make out the jeep sitting abandoned and alone in the distance. He wiped the sweat from his eyes and scanned the desert in every direction. There was no sign of any movement as far as he could see. Dropping back into the trench he picked up a canteen and handed it to his wounded driver.

"Thanks Doc." Tully took a few small swallows and recapped the canteen. "Sarge isn't looking for us yet, is he?"

"I'm afraid not." Moffitt answered. "It's entirely possible that they are still in the other sector still searching for that gun placement. They probably don't realize we are missing yet. Since we were observing radio silence they can't even try to call us. We aren't scheduled to meet for another four and a half hours."

"The sun will be starting to set before they know we're gone." Tully figured. "Then it will take them another hour to reach the sector we were assigned to search."

"And we are north of that sector in an area we never planned to search." Moffitt finished.

Tully sighed. "We have a long wait ahead of us Doc."

"I'm afraid so Tully." Moffitt peered closer at his driver. "Can you hold on that long?"

"Do I have a choice?"

Moffitt shook his head. "Unfortunately, no." Noticing Tully's flushed face he reached down to touch his skin. "Do you need more morphine?"

"No thanks, it can wait. I guess we'd better make it last."

"All right, but don't wait too long. It works best when you catch it early."

"Too late for that." Tully answered with a weak grin. "But I'll keep it in mind."

Moffitt nodded, unwilling to argue since he realized that Tully was most likely correct. The morphine would be needed even more as the pain got worse and infection set in. "Rest while you can, I'll keep watch."

"We should both rest Doc, I have a feeling that neither one of us is going to be getting much later." Tully presented a brave face but the sergeant knew what he meant.

"All right, I'll try if you will."

"Deal." Tully grinned. He rolled to his side and tried to hide the groan at the pain the movement caused. Soon his soft snores were keeping Moffitt company as the sergeant tossed restlessly.

Low moans woke Moffitt from a fitful sleep. He twisted to see Tully tossing in his sleep. A low rumbling sent sand sliding into the narrow trench he had dug. He listened for a moment as his tired brain sorted the various sounds and sensations. In a moment of clarity the sounds finally registered.

Moffitt wiggled around and rose to his knees. He glanced over at Tully again before poking his head out of their shelter. Tully had settled down and was sleeping quietly again. Moffitt pushed the corner of the tarp aside and peered out.

A long line of German vehicles were rolling to a stop near the abandoned jeep. Moffitt watched as soldiers jumped to the ground and surrounded the empty vehicle. They checked the interior and underneath before an officer approached. After a close examination of the disabled vehicle the officer waved an arm at the surrounding hills. Several of the halftracks raced for the hills where their crews searched for the Allied soldiers. It was a good thing that they hadn't sought shelter in any of those hills.

Some of the soldiers walked slowly around the jeep looking closely at the sand. After several minutes they returned to the officer shaking their heads. Moffitt was glad that he had thought to erase all of their tracks. The officer stood looking around at the open desert until the halftracks returned from searching the hills. His posture was stiff with anger at the news they brought him.

Tully moaned again and Moffitt turned to wet a cloth to cool his driver's face. He didn't want Tully moaning if there was any chance the Germans would come close enough to hear it. The cool cloth seemed to help and Tully once again fell into a quiet sleep. Moffitt turned back to watching the Germans.

The rumble of a halftrack sent more sand sliding into the trench. Moffitt peered out to see one of the armored vehicles headed their way. He wondered if they had spotted something he had missed. Being exhausted he knew he could easily have overlooked something. He reached for a rifle, determined to make a fight of it.

Before it reached them the halftrack made a turn and drove around the back of the nearest hill. Moffitt watched as the German crew jumped to the ground and began to cover the vehicle with netting to hide it. Moffitt saw a second halftrack disappear behind a hill on the other side of the jeep. "They're setting up an ambush for Troy." Moffitt said out loud.

"Doc?"

The sergeant turned and looked down at his driver. "I'm right here Tully."

"Did I hear you say Troy's name?"

"Yes you did."

"Are they here?" Tully asked hopefully.

"No, luckily they haven't arrived yet."

"Luckily? What does that mean?"

"The Germans have set up an ambush. They're waiting for them to show up."

Tully tried to rise to his knees. "We have to warn them Doc!"

"Stay down!" Moffitt hissed. "They aren't here so there is nothing we can do at present."

Tully stilled. "How are we going to warn them without giving away our location?"

"I don't know yet, but we'll think of something."

"We have to warn them even if it means we get caught!" Tully insisted.

"I know Tully, I'm working on it."

Tully fell into another restless sleep and Moffitt spent most of the afternoon watching the Germans and trying to keep Tully quiet. He was still trying to come up with a plan when he felt the tiny vibrations in the sand. A few minutes later the other jeep rounded a hill and came into sight. "Tully! Tully!"

"What?" Tully mumbled sleepily. "What's wrong Doc?"

"They're coming."

"Give me a rifle; I can help fight them off."

"Not the Germans, Troy and Hitch. The other jeep is here."

"Help me to my feet." Tully pleaded.

"Not yet Tully." Moffitt replied as he watched the scene playing out. "I'll let you know when it's time."

"Tell me what's happening Doc. I need to know."

Moffitt nodded in understanding. "They are coming closer. They've spotted the jeep." Both men waited silently until they knew what their friends were going to do next. "They're being cautious Tully, they aren't rushing in."

Tully nodded even though the other man wasn't looking at him.

"Troy has his glasses out." Moffitt continued.

"Can he see the ambush?"

"No, the halftracks are behind the hills and covered in netting. Troy can't see them from that angle." Moffitt continued to watch as Tully waited for him to describe the action.

"Hitch is driving forward slowly." Moffitt moaned. "I think they are going in."

"No." Tully groaned.

"They've stopped."

"They saw the krauts?"

"No, I think they are still being cautious." Moffitt twisted to look toward where the nearest halftrack was concealed. "The Germans haven't uncovered the halftrack yet."

"They're waiting for Sarge to get closer." Tully guessed.

Yes." Moffitt agreed. "But perhaps we can use that to our advantage. Can you move Tully?"

Tully nodded. "Yeah. What do you have in mind Doc?"

"Do you think you could get out of that hole in a hurry when I give the word?"

"Help me to my knees. I can get up the rest of the way by myself whenever you give the word." Tully struggled to get to his knees. Moffitt pulled on his good arm until he was steady.

"I'm going to try to warn Troy." Moffitt explained. "We may have to move fast once the Germans know our location."

"Where are we going to go Doc?"

"Hopefully, home." Moffitt smiled at his driver and nodded encouragement. "Be ready." Twisting back to face the direction of the jeeps, Moffitt raised his rifle.

The bullet hit the sand by the front tire. Hitch reacted instantly, wheeling the jeep away from the shooter and heading for the open desert. More gunshots rang out from the hills on either side of them.

"Hitch!" Troy yelled as a halftrack roared to life and headed for them from behind one of the nearby hills.

Hitch nodded but he was too busy dodging bullets to turn around to acknowledge the warning.

The halftrack gave chase and Hitch led it out into the open where they could run circles around it. Troy soon got the range and took out the gun crew. The driver continued to give chase not realizing that he was alone in the vehicle. Troy's next shots shattered his windshield, killing him instantly.

Hitch slowed as the halftrack ground to a stop.

"There's another one!" Troy yelled as the crew of the second halftrack pulled the netting free and joined in the attack.

Hitch turned toward the second vehicle but kept his distance from the hills in case there were any more hidden behind the dunes. A single shot rang out and the driver of the second halftrack slumped over the steering wheel. The armored vehicle slowed and Troy tossed a grenade into it as Hitch roared past. Bullets hit the side of the jeep but Hitch held it steady until the grenade was in the air. The moment the grenade left Troy's hand Hitch was turning away from the halftrack. The resulting explosion shook the speeding jeep and pelted it with sand. Hitch slowed again to look for more German vehicles.

Troy was looking for the shooter who had taken out the German driver. "Hitch, over there!"

Hitch headed in the direction that Troy pointed. The empty desert in front of him confused him. He didn't know what Troy wanted.

"Stop!"

The jeep slid in the sand as Hitch responded to the order. To his surprise a head popped up just in front of the jeep. "Moffitt!" He yelped in surprise.

"Hello Hitch." Moffitt smiled at him. "Could you by any chance help me with Tully?"

Still shocked by the sudden appearance of the other sergeant, Hitch was slow in moving. The next thing he knew Tully's head popped up beside Moffitt. "Tully?"

"Just who were you expecting?" Tully asked with a grin.

Hitch leaped from the jeep and rushed around the front to help Moffitt assist Tully in climbing out of the trench. "What are you doing in there?"

"Saving your skins." Tully grinned. "You weren't planning on going to check out that jeep by any chance?"

"The thought did cross our minds." Troy grinned from behind the 50. "Thanks for the warning."

"Anytime." Moffitt grinned. He helped Tully out of the trench and allowed Hitch to help the other driver to the passenger seat. Dropping back into their shelter he began to pull out the supplies he had salvaged from the other jeep. "I hate to be a spoilsport old man but may I suggest we get these supplies loaded and find a more suitable place for a reunion. The rest of that column is probably still close by just waiting for the signal to come back."

Troy looked around quickly, searching for the column.

"You load them while I keep watch. Make it quick."

"I'll help Sarge." Hitch offered.

Between the two of them they got everything into the jeep and Hitch quickly drove them to a wadi that Moffitt deemed safe. Once there he redressed Tully's wound and gave him another shot of morphine.

"I'm sorry Troy." Moffitt apologized as he packed the supplies back into the jeep. "I'm afraid that we weren't able to locate that gun placement."

"That's okay Doctor, we found it. That's why we got here as early as we did. We decided to find you and head back to the base today instead of waiting until tonight. We were looking for you when we spotted the tracks of that column and decided to investigate."

"We certainly are glad that you did." Moffitt assured him. "I want to get Tully back to a doctor as quickly as possible."

"We still have a few hours before dark." Troy replied. "Why don't we head home right now?"

"What do you say Tully?" Moffitt asked.

"I'm ready." Tully replied happily as the new dose of morphine kicked in.

Troy and Moffitt laughed and climbed into the jeep. "Take us home Hitch."


End file.
